Members of the Bear Creek Boutique Wineries Association are working together to let tourists and locals know numerous wineries are located just minutes from downtown Ashland, Medford and Jacksonville.

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By Vickie Aldous

MailTribune.com

By Vickie Aldous

Posted Mar. 8, 2014 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 8, 2014 at 2:10 AM

By Vickie Aldous

Posted Mar. 8, 2014 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 8, 2014 at 2:10 AM

Bear Creek Boutique Wineries

Trium Wines, Talent

Weisinger Family Winery, Ashland

Grizzly Peak Winery, Ashland

Dana Campbell Vineyards, Ashland

Paschal Winery, Talent

2Hawk Winery, Me...

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Bear Creek Boutique Wineries

Trium Wines, Talent

Weisinger Family Winery, Ashland

Grizzly Peak Winery, Ashland

Dana Campbell Vineyards, Ashland

Paschal Winery, Talent

2Hawk Winery, Medford

Pebblestone Cellars, Medford

StoneRiver Vineyard, Talent

Aurora Vines, Talent

DANCIN Vineyards, outside Jacksonville

To buy a tasting room passport to all the wineries, visit any of the wineries.

For a map to the wineries and more information about the Bear Creek Boutique Wineries Association and its individual members, visit www.bearcreekwineries.com.

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Members of the Bear Creek Boutique Wineries Association are working together to let tourists and locals know numerous wineries are located just minutes from downtown Ashland, Medford and Jacksonville.

Residents and visitors can enjoy activities in those towns on the same day they visit any of the 10 small, family-owned wineries that make up the association.

"It's a great asset for Ashland in particular," said Laura Lotspeich, co-owner of Trium Wines in Talent. "So many people come to see plays and experience the downtown. They want to get out, taste wines and see beautiful locations. We're all small, we're all personal, and it really builds on the Ashland experience."

To encourage people to venture out to the wineries, the association is offering an $18 passport that covers three tastings at each of the association wineries. Passport holders have up to a year to visit all the wineries.

Eric Weisinger of Weisinger Family Winery said wine fans are often part of the same demographic that is drawn to Ashland for the arts.

"It's an industry that complements what's already here," he said of winemaking.

In the summer, 60 to 70 percent of the guests at his winery have come to see Oregon Shakespeare Festival plays, Weisinger said.

He said the enjoyment of wine is also part of the growing culinary tourism trend.

"Culinary tourism is so important because when you go to a region, you want to experience its culture," he said. "Part of any culture is its food and wine. For example, if you went to France, you wouldn't order a chardonnay from California."

Weisinger said he hopes local residents are gaining a sense of pride about living in the increasingly well-known Southern Oregon wine region.

"The wines of Southern Oregon are developing a reputation for their quality. What a lot of locals don't realize is that the story of Southern Oregon wine is just beginning to come out," he said. "The story of what's happening here is really exciting."

The other members of the Bear Creek Boutique Wineries Association — which formed in 2011 — are Grizzly Peak Winery and Dana Campbell Vineyards near Ashland; Paschal Winery near Talent; 2Hawk Winery, Pebblestone Cellars, StoneRiver Vineyard and Aurora Vines between Talent and Medford; and DANCIN Vineyards near Jacksonville.

Staff reporter Vickie Aldous can be reached at 541-479-8199 or vlaldous@yahoo.com. Follow her at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous.